Apple has recently started selling refurbished iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro handsets on its website, almost 18 months after the high-end phone launched in 2020.
Prolonging the lifetime of a device through refurbishment and reselling is one of the best ways to keep phones out of landfill and with e-waste on track to double by 2050, so its encouraging to see big tech conglomerates make positive changes.
Although this is a step in the right direction, Apple has had the ability to sell refurbished devices for years and theres a lot more the company can do to make a significant impact.
At reboxed®, not only is sustainability in our DNA through our circular business model: rebox, rehome, repeat, but we do everything we can to go above and beyond to make a greener planet.
Starting with our mission to rehome 100 million devices by 2030. We do this through buying, selling and recycling tech - from refurbished iPhone 7s, Samsungs to refurbished iPhone 12s.
Unlike apple, we say no to new tech altogether, because there’s already way too much of it already on the planet! Plus, for every phone rehomed we plant trees to help offset the device's lifetime Co2 emissions, all thanks to their partners at ecologi. We’ve proudly planted over 16,498 trees and support carbon offsetting projects from preserving the Amazonian rainforest, producing energy from waste rice husks in India to powering wind projects in Mexico.
We also commit 1% of our profits to charitable organisations and help our community recycle and donate their unwanted phones correctly through our donation partners, Hubbub.
If you’d like to get your hands on a refurbished iPhone 12 from reboxed, have a look at our best deals here:
Refurbished iPhone 12:
The iPhone 12 — the "standard" iPhone for 2020, if you will — is leading the charge, with a 64GB model starting at a refurbished price of £429. It has the same 6.1-inch display and overall size as its predecessor, the iPhone 11, but it now has an OLED panel and Apple's new A14 processor (which is found in all four of the new iPhone 12 devices), as well as 5G support.
Apple seems to have settled in on the 6.1-inch form factor as the usual size for its iPhones for now, releasing four phones this year in that size. The cameras have also been enhanced from the iPhone 11, with a quicker f/1.6 wide camera that allows in 27% more light, according to Apple.
Refurbished iPhone 12 Mini:
There's also the refurbished iPhone 12 mini from £380 which is the smallest iPhone Apple has introduced in nearly five years. This is because to the bezel-less design, which makes the 5.4-inch 12 tiny physically smaller than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE 2020. Despite its smaller size, it has the same high-end specs as the larger iPhone 12, with the exception of the display. As a result, it's a good choice for anyone searching for a smaller (or less expensive) iPhone.
Refurbished iPhone 12 Pro:
While the refurbished iPhone 12 Pro looks similar to the iPhone 12, there are numerous important changes between the 12 Pro and the ordinary model. Starting at £510 for the 123g, the phone sports a stainless steel body, as opposed to aluminium on the normal 12. The iPhone 12 Pro has a brighter display than the iPhone 12, with an average brightness of 800 nits versus 625 nits on the iPhone 12. However, both phones have a maximum brightness of 1200 nits for HDR.
The iPhone 12 Pro also has a third camera — a telephoto lens — with 2x optical zoom, though the wide and ultrawide cameras, as well as the front-facing camera, are otherwise identical to the iPhone 12. A new LIDAR sensor is also included in the iPhone 12 Pro, allowing for improved augmented reality and faster autofocus in low-light circumstances (as well as Night Mode portrait shots). The iPhone 12 Pro can also shoot Dolby Vision HDR films at up to 60 frames per second, compared to 30 frames per second on the iPhone 12.
Finally, while the price difference between the Pro and standard iPhone 12 may appear significant, keep in mind that the iPhone 12 Pro has 128GB of storage on the entry-level model, compared to 64GB on the iPhone 12. When you compare the 128GB and 256GB devices side by side, the difference in price is only minor.
Refurbished iPhone 12 Pro Max:
Also on the list is the refurbished iPhone 12 Pro Max, the largest iPhone in the mix starting at £550. It sports a gigantic 6.7-inch display and significantly greater camera upgrades than the smaller 12 Pro.
Apple adopted a new sensor for the primary wide camera on the 12 Pro Max that is physically larger than the one on the 12 Pro, but the same f/1.6 lens as the 12 Pro. With a new sensorshift technology that Apple claims works similarly to DSLR cameras, the wide camera will also get stronger optical image stabilisation. It moves the sensor rather than the complete camera unit, resulting in faster and hence greater stabilisation. Apple has also extended the focal length of the telephoto lens on the 12 Pro Max from 50mm to 65mm, giving it a 2.5x optical zoom instead of 2x.
No matter which refurbished iPhone 12 you choose, the planet friendly option is to make the switch to refurbished with reboxed®.
